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Mouse virus not responsible for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, new study finds

Two years ago, a widely publicized scientific report plucked an old mouse virus out of obscurity and held it up as a possible cause of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. According to a new study published today by a group of researchers in California, Wisconsin and Illinois, that report was wrong.

1 Jun 2011

Scans, hospital infections at heart of new quality issues

A new diagnostic imaging test that can detect plaque in the arteries of the heart is not an efficient tool for screening people not experiencing symptoms of heart disease, a recent study found.

1 Jun 2011

Plasma resuscitation restores damage to endothelial glycocalyx after hemorrhagic shock

Using plasma rather than standard resuscitation fluids seems to improve survival in trauma patients with massive blood loss. Now a new study in animals suggests that this benefit may result from plasma's ability to restore the "endothelial glycocalyx," a special layer lining the blood vessels, reports the June issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society.

1 Jun 2011

Wireless near-infrared spectroscopy can effectively detect bladder disease in children

A cell phone-sized, wireless near-infrared device is as reliable as the current "gold standard" invasive tests in determining bladder disease, according to a study by researchers at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver Coastal Health and the Child & Family Research Institute (CFRI).

1 Jun 2011

Physicians brief Congressional staffers on patient-physician relationship

On May 26, three physicians, including Congressman Michael Burgess (R-TX), briefed Congressional staffers on the effects of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), sometimes called ObamaCare, on the patient-physician relationship and patient care.

1 Jun 2011

HbA1c glucose monitoring test not effective for diagnosing diabetes patients with kidney failure

The gold standard long-term glucose monitoring test for patients with diabetes proved to be of limited value in dialysis patients, according to a new study at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.

1 Jun 2011

Innovative bowel screening kits effective in detecting pre-cancerous growths

New bowel screening kits, expected soon for England and Scotland, are more sensitive at picking up pre-cancerous growths in the left-side of the bowel than the right-side because the growths are shaped differently.

1 Jun 2011

Women with ovarian cancer could benefit from new targeted testing

Women with ovarian cancer could be helped by a new test that identifies the specific type of tumour they have, a conference will hear this week.

1 Jun 2011

Surgeons minimize amputation rate among patients injured in Haitian earthquake

A team of plastic and orthopedic surgeons achieved a high success rate in limb salvage—minimizing the need for amputations—among patients injured in last year's devastating earthquake in Haiti, reports a study in the June issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery®, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

1 Jun 2011

Facelift incision with no-neck-scar approach safe and effective for thyroid patients

A facelift incision and robotics can help surgeons safely remove a portion of a diseased thyroid from some patients without the characteristic neck scar.

1 Jun 2011

Suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid holds promise against familial frontotemporal dementia

A drug already approved for people with cancer shows early potential as a therapy for a common form of dementia, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers report.

1 Jun 2011

CrystalGenomics begins enrollment in CG100649 Phase 2b osteoarthritis study

CrystalGenomics, Inc. and CG Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company with 3 clinical stage candidates, has announced that the first patient has been enrolled for a Phase 2b clinical study of CG100649, CrystalGenomics' clinical stage novel NSAID candidate, in patients with knee or hip osteoarthritis.

1 Jun 2011

Sleep loss reduces healthy young man's testosterone levels

Cutting back on sleep drastically reduces a healthy young man's testosterone levels, according to a study published in the June 1 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

1 Jun 2011

Eculizumab effective for treating hemolytic-uremic syndrome from EHEC

In the online version of the New England Journal of Medicine, physicians and scientists in Heidelberg, Montreal, and Paris reported on the successful treatment of three young children who were suffering from a severe hemolytic-uremic syndrome after an infection with enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli.

1 Jun 2011

Researchers discover new drug target that may effectively prevent onset of Huntington's disease

McMaster University researchers have discovered a new drug target that may be effective at preventing the onset of Huntington's disease, working much the same way heart medications slow the progression of heart disease and reduce heart attacks.

1 Jun 2011

Birth control pill safety issues raised

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced that it is looking at results from two studies that showed there is a higher risk of blood clots in women taking new birth control pills containing the compound drospirenone. Some brand names include Yaz, Yasmin, Beyaz, Ocella, Loryna, Gianvi, Safyral, Syeda and Zarah.

1 Jun 2011

Chronic fatigue syndrome and mouse virus – no association

An earlier study published in 2009 had claimed that a mouse virus was the cause of chronic fatigue syndrome. New evidence suggests that this assumption is wrong. According to latest evidence the earlier study findings were likely based on contaminated lab samples, US researchers said Tuesday.

1 Jun 2011

First Edition: May 31, 2011

Today's headlines include articles on the federal efforts to improve hospital quality, the politics of Medicare and the move by some GOP governors to set up health exchanges.

31 May 2011

Cancer drug helps prevent hypertensive heart disease

A promising cancer treatment drug can restore function of a heart en route to failure from high blood pressure, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found.

31 May 2011

Some Veterans' health jeopardized due to poor infection control

Herman Williams came home safely after fighting in the jungles of Vietnam as a Marine. He was shocked to learn four decades later that his military service had again placed him in jeopardy — this time, because he got a tooth pulled. Williams is among 13,000 U.S. veterans who have been warned in the last two years that their blood should be tested for potentially fatal infections after possible exposures by improper hygiene practices at five VA hospitals in Ohio, Florida, Georgia, Missouri and Tennessee.

31 May 2011